the definitive archive of Colorado's 41st Governor

Monthly Archives: May 2007

Gov. Bill Ritter signed several key pieces of legislation into law today, including measures that will advance Colorado’s New Energy Economy, improve the state’s K-12 education system, and address criminal-justice and crime-victim issues.

Among the New Energy Economy bills signed today: House Bill 1279, which provides a sales- and use-tax exemption to companies that buy machinery to produce electricity from renewable resources. The bill could save companies up to $18 million over three years.

“These bills are important building blocks as we continue to establish Colorado as a national leader in renewable energy,” Gov. Ritter said. “They invest in public-private partnerships and will help us grow new sources of energy, create new jobs and stimulate new economic opportunities, particularly in our rural, agricultural communities.”

Other New Energy Economy legislation signed today will make it easier to: build transmission lines to get electricity generated from renewable sources onto the grid, bring bio-fuels from research labs to the marketplace, and encourage recycling statewide. The bills are:

Gov. Ritter also signed five education bills, including measures to streamline and strengthen Colorado’s School Accountability Reports, and legislation that will bring greater oversight to K-12 on-line education programs.

“There is no higher priority for me than improving student learning,” Gov. Ritter said. “As I said in the State of the State speech, our goal is to cut the dropout rate in half in 10 years. We need to make sure our young people are fully prepared for college and to enter a modern, 21st Century workforce.

“These are ambitious goals. But we can accomplish them by partnering with educators, partnering with teachers and partnering with parents. These bills will help us fulfill those goals.”

Gov. Ritter said the school accountability reform package – House Bills 1270, 1320 and 1345 – represents a significant bipartisan achievement that will allow educators and administrators to focus more on students and less on bureaucratic red tape. The bills call for a review of data systems, the creation of a statewide advisory committee and data dictionary, and the adoption of needed refinements to the School Accountability Reports. The bills are:

Gov. Ritter praised the criminal-justice and victim-rights bills he signed today, saying they will further anti-recidivism programs he initiated earlier in the year. “Our focus must always be on public safety, crime prevention and victim advocacy,” the Governor said. “We also must do everything we can to keep offenders from becoming repeat offenders. It saves money and it prevents another person from becoming a victim.”

HB 1358 establishes a Colorado Criminal and Juvenile Justice Commission. This 26-member task force will review sentencing structures and proven prevention programs, allowing Colorado to become a national leader in sentencing policies and approaches.

HB 1375 closes a loophole in state law by ensuring that if a licensed professional commits a sex crime, the matter is referred to criminal prosecutors and not just handled administratively by a professional review board. Victims also must be notified by state administrative representatives of their right to pursue criminal or civil action, notified of the statute of limitations, and given contact information for law enforcement and community resources.

Gov. Ritter is scheduled to sign 15 bills on Wednesday relating to the New Energy Economy, education and criminal justice. The signing ceremonies will take place in the West Foyer of the state Capitol from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The Governor has until June 4 to act on the dozens of bills now sitting on his desk.

Ritter also to deliver commencement speech at alma materGateway High School this afternoon

Gov. Bill Ritter is scheduled to meet with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and other Swedish officials today. The Swedish delegation is visiting the United States, California and Colorado to discuss renewable energy, Colorado’s New Energy Economy and climate change.

Prime Minister Reinfeldt met with President Bush and testified before a Congressional panel on Tuesday and visited with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday.

In addition to meeting with Gov. Ritter and other administration officials today about Colorado’s New Energy Economy, Prime Minister Reinfeldt will be touring the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

GOV. RITTER SIGNS SCHOOL FINANCE ACT INTO LAWGovernor touts legislation as good government that avoids fiscal train wreck

Surrounded by dozens of lawmakers, supporters and children, Gov. Bill Ritter today signed the School Finance Act into law, praising it as good-government legislation that avoids a fiscal calamity that would have struck in 2011.

“In November, we were elected by the voters of this state to solve problems, to bring pragmatic solutions to the very real challenges facing Colorado,” Gov. Ritter said during the signing ceremony on the West Steps of the state Capitol. “Today, we are fixing a big problem.

“I’m signing Senate Bill 199 here at the Capitol because it represents good government. It’s called the School Finance Act, but it’s about so much more: higher education, health care, human services, economic-development and other important services. This law will make a difference in the lives of Coloradans for years to come.”

Ritter, citing widespread bi-partisan support for the Act from around Colorado, was joined at today’s ceremony by state Treasurer Cary Kennedy; Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System; and Harry Lewis, a longtime civic leader who currently heads his own investment firm and serves on the Colorado Forum and Colorado Economic Futures boards.

“This is a historic moment because the new School Finance Act that Gov. Ritter is signing today is landmark legislation,” Treasurer Kennedy said. “It ensures that improving funding for education does not result in dramatic reductions in Colorado’s other critical priorities.”

The Act increases total funding for education in Colorado by $310 million, a 6.6 percent increase. An amendment to the Act will keep the State Education Fund from becoming insolvent in 2011 as projections called for. Other benefits of the Act:

· Allows popular votes in 175 of 178 school districts around Colorado to take effect, enabling these districts to retain revenues over their TABOR limits.

· Begins to address the growing inequities between the state share of K-12 education funding and the local share. Twenty years ago, local districts picked up 60 percent of total costs. Today, the state pays about 65 percent. In 10 years, it will be nearly 75 percent. Increased state funding means a loss of local control.

· Keeps $42 million in the State Education Fund in FY07/08 that otherwise would have been spent by stabilizing the local share of K-12 funding. Without the stabilization, the General Fund would continue to be forced to back fill the Ed Fund. In FY11/12 and FY12/13, that would have amounted to $386 million from the General Fund.

· Provides about $6 million to get 2,000 low-income children currently on waiting lists into pre-school.

· Lowers property tax rates in 34 school districts to 27 mills ($27 per $1,000 of assessed valuation), allowing those districts to keep $12 million in the first year. This begins to address the wide gulf in school property tax rates across Colorado. In 1994, all districts paid the same rate. Today some districts’ rates are more than 20 times those of other districts. The 34 districts that will experience lower mill rates are:

Higher EducationColorado State UniversityCommunity College SystemFort Lewis CollegeMesa State CollegeMetropolitan State College of DenverUniversity of ColoradoUniversity of Northern ColoradoUniversity of Colorado Student UnionColorado State Student AssociationDaniel Ritchie

School DistrictsAcademy 20Colorado Springs School District 11Canon CityCherry Creek Public SchoolsFountain-Fort CarsonGreeley-Evans School District 6Littleton Public SchoolsMesa Valley School District 51Poudre School DistrictPueblo School District 60Thompson School District R2-JWidefield School DistrictWindsor School District

MiscellaneousAmerican Federation of State, County, and Municipal EmployeesAFL-CIOBell Policy InstituteColorado Children’s CampaignPitkin County Board of CommissionersService Employees International Union/SEIU

Gov. Bill Ritter signed four health-care bills into law today, including measures to help families with developmentally disabled children and young people in foster care. The measures also will assist families unable to afford breakfast for school children and will address health disparities in minority communities across the state.

“The bills I signed today will help address accessibility and affordability of health care and ensure kids get a healthier start to their day,” Gov. Ritter said. “These new laws make good health-care sense and good fiscal sense. When we talk about bills like these, we should always ask a few important questions: Is it good for kids? Will it make a real difference in the lives of children? Is it a good investment? The answer today is yes, yes and yes.”

Gov. Ritter signed Senate Bill 4 at the Autism Society of Colorado’s annual luncheon at Temple Emmanuel in Denver. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Shaffer and Rep. Nancy Todd, streamlines the funding process for children with developmental disabilities so they and their families have easier access to early intervention medical care. About 4,000 infants and toddlers ages 3 and younger are living with developmental disabilities in Colorado.

Gov. Ritter signed Senate Bills 2, 59 and 242 later in the day at Denver Health Medical Center.

SB 2 (Sen. Paula Sandoval, Rep. Debbie Stafford) will expand Medicaid eligibility to young adults in the foster care system through the age of 21 from the current cut-off age of 18. This will extend coverage to 1,400 young people.

SB 59 (Sen. Sandoval, Rep. Alice Madden) establishes the Start Smart Nutrition Program, providing free breakfasts to students who qualify under the free- and reduced-price lunch program. Currently, only 18 percent of qualifying children are receiving a reduced-priced breakfast and SB 59 will help a greater number of children get a healthy start to their day. Research shows a direct correlation between good nutrition and academic performance.

SB 242 (Sen. Peter Groff, Rep. Jerry Frangas) is aimed at eliminating racial, ethnic and rural health disparities in Colorado. It formalizes the state Office of Health Disparities and creates two advisory councils to assess the causes of and solutions for health care disparities in Colorado. Higher rates of death, disabilities, and disease among minorities cost Coloradans through cost-shifting of care for the uninsured. For instance, according to CDPHE, eliminating the health disparity just for diabetes would save Colorado taxpayers more than $80 million annually.